Got a minute?

Atomic clocks: Tempus fugit with precision

October 25, 2000
Web posted at: 5:33 p.m. EDT (2133 GMT)

With Ed Curran, Technogadgets

(CNN) -- There's probably nothing more important to your career than time. Show up at 9:20 every morning and see how long you last. Arrive 30 minutes late for every sales appointment and see how far you go.

It's time we talked about one of my very favorite gadgets that'll always keep you up-to-the-minute.

I'm talking about the atomic clock. Not the actual U.S. Atomic Clock but one of the little clocks that sets itself automatically to the big one.

These clocks are always right. Their internal radio receivers listen to tones transmitted from Boulder, Colorado, and set themselves daily.

Now, let me take a moment to explain that some people appreciate this and some people couldn't care less. I love having a clock in my house that's always right. We're talking exact. To the fraction of a second. Perfection.

QUICK VOTE
	How punctual are you in your career? Well, I'm not being automatically updated by the U.S. Atomic Clock, but I'm usually on time. Sometimes I hit it. Sometimes I don't. It evens out ... over time. I don't have time to buy an atomic clock, I'm running too late. Gotta go. Bye. View Results

Some of my friends think I'm nuts.

They're usually late.

It's a shame they haven't discovered the joy of a clock that sets itself and even changes automatically every spring and fall. The clock knows "spring ahead and fall back". There's comfort in knowing that my little atomic clock is always right.

There are a number of timepieces tied to the U.S. Atomic Clock.

Oregon Scientific makes several of them, including a new one made of iMac-type plastic that even projects the time on your ceiling. Their products can be found at http://www.oregonscientific.com and cost as little as $30.

But why stop with the clock on your nightstand?

There are a number of wristwatches that also set themselves to the Atomic Clock and they're surprisingly inexpensive. You can get a pretty nice one for about a hundred bucks at http://www.atomictime.com. Then, when you're walking down the street and someone asks what time it is, you'll be able to tell them -- exactly.

There are a couple of government agencies in charge of keeping us on time. The U.S. Naval Observatory knows what time it is. And The National Institute of Standards and Technology is always happy to tell you what time it is, even without a special clock. Just go to http://www.time.gov and they'll keep you on time to within about a second.

Twice a year I'm reminded of just how relative time is. The spring-ahead and fall-back time changes are funny to me. How easily we can change time by an entire hour, just because it suits us. Since it's so relative I guess it's time I 'fessed up.

MESSAGE BOARD
	Do you have a second to tell us how time works out in your career? Are you usually punctual? Or could you use a little atomic aid? And which of your gadgets is the most useful in your career?

I own an Oregon Scientific atomic clock and I love it. But the clock in my kitchen, with the singing birds every hour, is set two minutes ahead. The one in the car is four minutes ahead and the one in the bathroom is five minutes fast. This is all to help keep me on time.

Sometimes being accurate just isn't good enough.

Ed Curran has covered the world of high-tech for more than a dozen years and is the publisher of Technogadgets® -- www.technogadgets.com In addition to his weekly "Good Gadgetry" column here at CNN.com/career, watch for Curran's reports on CNN television.

Atomic Time
Official U.S. Time site from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the U.S. Naval Observatory
Oregon Scientific

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